Fruit Logistica 2017, firmly focused on the future

The world's most important appointment for fresh fruit and vegetables kicks off today in Berlin, 25 years after the first edition of the fair presented 100 exhibitors to the outside world. This year, Fruit Logistica is breaking all its records with over 3000 exhibitors from 86 countries and an expected 70.000 buyers and specialist visitors.

The event is already exuding an air of optimism and confidence about the future, which is undoubtedly due to the payoffs of investments and innovations in a sector that is now solidly focused on consumer needs and quality. And innovation is indeed at the heart of this years fair, as was particularly evident from the lead-up FRUITNET WORLD OF FRESH IDEAS event, which presented innovations in the global value chain, from production and varietal development, featuring the Yello apple developed in the Sud Tirol region of Northern Italy, to technological advances, in which a strawberry picking robot that is able to move autonomously around the greenhouse, choose ripe strawberries and mimic human hand movements was showcased, to packaging, social media, big data and retail trends. The event ended with the potential of new markets, which was centred on China and the particularities of the Chinese market as presented by John Hey from Fruitnet.

More innovation will follow in the course of the fair, with the addition of the FRUTIC Symposium, an international scientific symposium that will include over 50 scientific presentations and aims to provide a platform for sharing information between experts from the research community and the fresh produce sector. Four series of events taking place during the trade fair will also focus on current and future challenges in the industry: the Logistics Hub, which offers growers, exporters and retailers information on logistical decisions for transporting their products; the Future Lab, presenting concepts that in a matter of years will significantly optimise the value chain; the Fresh Produce Forum focusing on the latest industry questions with viable answers provided by experts and finally the Tech Stage, which will focus on technical solutions for the industry.

On the last day of the fair, the Innovation Award will be presented by the Messe Berlin and Fruchthandel Magazine for innovative exellence in the fresh produce sector for one of 10 shortlisted ideas. These include the aforementioned yello apple, a particularly firm fleshed seedless watermelon, a collapsible pallet box and a machine that cuts vegetables into spaghetti to name but a few.

All in all, despite having reached the venerable age of 25, Fruit Logistica 2017, as well as providing a venue for serious business opportunities, promises to further open the fresh produce sector to the future.

In the anniversary year, the host country is, for the first time, also the partner country. It's a well-known fact that Germany represents the largest consumer market in Europe. But there is also a growing demand for fresh produce exported Germany. This is due in part to the rigorously controlled quality of German products and the reliability of the country's trading partners. At the same time, new markets are being developed and bilateral trade is promoted with the support of the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). Organised by the German Association of Fruit and Vegetable Growers (BVEO), the joint exhibition stand in Hall 20 serves as the first stop for trade visitors from all over the world who are interested in German companies.